UFC Rumors: Who's the More Interesting Next Opponent for Khabib Nurmagomedov?
Nurmagomedov recently hinted that he's eyeing either September or October of this year for his next fight
For a long time, Khabib Nurmagomedov was viewed by more than a few mixed martial arts fans as the uncrowned king of the UFC's lightweight division.
He had long dominated the opponents the matchmakers put in front of him, but due to a variety of reasons, it took a while before he finally got his chance to stake his claim to being the company's best lightweight fighter.
Nurmagomedov capitalized on that opportunity in a big way when he finally received it though, as he was not really threatened during his UFC 223 title fight against Al Iaquinta.
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Now comes the tough part of being the champion for Nurmagomedov, as the contenders are all now focused on taking him down.
For what it's worth, Nurmagomedov doesn't seem to be shying away from the challenge, and it even seems like he's eager to defend his title.
An Instagram video recently posted by LiveRaise features Nurmagomedov talking about his plans for his next fight.
According to the current UFC Lightweight Champion, he still doesn't really know when his next fight will be, but he intends to talk to the company about it soon. Nurmagomedov did hint however that the fight could take place in either September or October.
As MMA Fighting pointed out, Nurmagomedov fighting either in September or October works since the UFC will likely have pay-per-views lined up for those months.
That's not the most interesting part of the video, however.
After putting forth possible fight dates, Nurmagomedov then admitted that he still doesn't know who he will defend his title against, though he did mention the names of Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre.
Nurmagomedov squaring off against either McGregor or St-Pierre would make for compelling viewing for fight fans, but which one would be the more spectacular encounter?
The Nurmagomedov–McGregor potential fight is intriguing for a variety of reasons.
For one, it's a distinct clash of styles, with Nurmagomedov known for using his wrestling to dominate opponents and McGregor being well-versed in the art of striking. The two also seem to feel real animosity for one another, or at least McGregor does for Nurmagomedov, and that could make for an epic build to an eventual clash. One last thing that makes this particular fight interesting is that McGregor was stripped of the title that now belongs to Nurmagomedov, so this bout will clearly determine who really is the best lightweight in the UFC.
As for the potential Nurmagomedov–St-Pierre fight, that's interesting in its own right as well.
St-Pierre dominated challengers for his welterweight crown years ago using his wrestling, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to do that against someone who also excels at that part of MMA such as Nurmagomedov. A move to lightweight is also something different for St-Pierre, and fans will definitely be tuning in to see if competing at that weight class will provide him with any clear advantages.
From a storyline and stylistic standpoint, Nurmagomedov facing McGregor may be more appealing than the champ taking on St-Pierre, though it's hard to see fans being disappointed with either fight being made official.
